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Who supports keeping Klingle Valley as a park?
Most local and federal government
agencies and environmental groups have come out to support
keeping this precious valley as a park. Over
5000 citizens have signed petitions and postcards asking the City to keep
Klingle a park. See a sample of the support for saving it,
not paving it.
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Founding Father endorses Klingle Valley Park
A friend of Thomas Jefferson wrote, in describing
the new Federal City: "Indeed the whole plain was diversified
with groves ... of forest trees which gave it the appearance of a fine
park. Such as grew on the public grounds ought to have been preserved
... the poorer inhabitants cut down these noble and beautiful trees
for fuel. Nothing affected Mr. Jefferson like this wanton
destruction of the fine trees scattered over the city-grounds....
'And have you not authority to save
those on the public grounds?' asked one of the company.
'No!' answered Mr. J., 'Only an armed guard could save them. The
unnecessary felling of a tree, perhaps the growth of centuries,
seems to me a crime little short of murder, it pains me to an
unspeakable degree.'"
Okay, okay, so Thomas Jefferson didn't REALLY endorse
Klingle Valley Park. Considering the repairklingleroad.org site
claims endorsements from all kinds of groups and people that actually
DON'T endorse them, we though ol' TJ might just qualify as an
endorser.
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Act Now!
Park
Supporters
Traffic Q&A
Berger Report
History
Fact & Fiction
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Klingle Valley Park
is located in a beautiful, wooded stream valley that leads
into Rock Creek Park just north of the National Zoo. An old paved road
through the valley has been closed to automobiles since 1990
when portions of the road eroded into Klingle Creek, which
runs directly alongside the road. Some drivers who used
the road as a shortcut are lobbying the D.C. government to
spend millions of dollars to rebuild this half-mile road. But
rebuilding a paved road would destroy the natural beauty of
Klingle Valley and continue to dump polluted storm water into
Klingle Creek, harming Rock Creek, the Potomac River, and the
Chesapeake Bay downstream.
Where
is Klingle Valley? |
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National Park Service's John Parsons explaining to
the City Council why it opposes the road due to the
uniquely severe stormwater problems in Klingle Valley.
He also spoke about the history of the road, emphasizing
the 1918 Olmstead plan.
Hear John
Parsons Testimony 872k
3/13/03 - DDOT's Dan Tangherlini explaining why a road
would cost $4.2 m more than a hiker-biker path,
and that federal funds could be used for the path. Right: Deputy Fire Chief Thurmann.
Hear DDOT's Testimony
5mb DDOT on Roadie Myths
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Headlines
After the
Council Hearing: Does the pro-road group have ANY credibility
left?
3/13 Hearing Details :
Parkies dominate hearing 5-3,
Roadie Councilmembers push
"Asphalty Logic."
Klingle Valley neighbor Linda Spiegler recounts the
lethality of old Klingle Road. Hear her testimony
196k
Movies of Klingle
Valley
Committee of 100 supports Klingle Valley Park
"Green Scissors"
cut Klingle Road
Fire Chief reiterates
FireEMS support for Mayor's plan. |
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Lung Association Pulls Road
Endorsement |
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Update: DDOT
testimony
Paving Leader Laurie Collins
at the Jan 03 roundtable. |
March 7 - The American Lung Association withdrew its
endorsement of the road plan after discovering they were
misled by a bogus study commissioned by the Roadies.
Unsatisfied with the comprehensive Berger Study conclusions,
the pro-road group hired a consultant to find flaws in the
study, flaws that could be twisted to support rebuilding the
road. They continue to tout its validity, despite official
and independent rejection of their analysis. The whole affair points out how desperate the Roadies are to
find any factual basis to argue for a road.
more NEW>>.
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Klingle Park
Supporters Dominate Public Meeting, Debunk Roadie
“Myths” |
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Jan 21 2003 - Advocates of Mayor Anthony Williams’ plan
for Klingle Valley outnumbered the “roadies” by a margin
of about 4-to-1 in the crowd of approximately 200.
Passions were running high on both side of the debate.
"I live east of Rock Creek Park. I
know my neighbors in their SUV’s and BMWs drive
their children to private schools on the west side of
Rock Creek. I find it outrageous that they want to
repair Klingle Road so that they have a private school
alley through Klingle Valley," said Mt. Pleasant
resident Lisa Colson. "The majority of us in Ward 1
don’t even have cars and are much more likely to enjoy
Klingle as a beautiful park and bikeway."
more>> |
Deputy Fire Chief John Thurmann
pointing out that Klingle is not
needed as an emergency route at a public forum held by
Councilmember
Phil Mendelson on Jan 21st 2003 in Cleveland Park.
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DC Strategic
Neighborhood Action Plan on Klingle |
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DC's office of planning has released it's
Strategic Neighborhood Action Plan (SNAP) for the
Northwest neighborhoods around Klingle Valley. The plan
includes a bold vision for Klingle Park : "Preserve
the natural system of Klingle Valley as an integral part
of a linked ecological system as envisioned by Frederick
Law Olmsted." and "Build a stairway to Klingle
Valley at one end of Connecticut Avenue bridge to
provide direct access to trails and paths for citizens
in the area and for those who arrive by nearby Metro." |
See DC's Plan (pages 50 & 51
specifically on Klingle) |
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Klingle Road
called the "Fakest Issue" |
"Show me where to find Klingle Road in
the Constitution. Where does it decree that
Outback-driving Mount Pleasanters have the right to cross
Rock Creek Park on a treacherous, winding path so they can
ferry their kids to John Eaton or Sidwell three minutes
quicker? Yeah, I know: It's Woodley Park plutocrats like Tim
Russert who want to keep us east-of-the-park riffraff
out. Let them. If they want to look out their front windows
at a decrepit, pothole-ridden road and pretend it's a
park (rather than, say, a stray piece of late-'80s Beirut),
let them. How has this become the litmus test in District
politics? I can understand devoting your every waking moment
to the fight over abortion or affirmative action or—hey,
here's a crazy idea for local activists—D.C. voting
rights, but Klingle Road? It's an alley, people, not a
civil-rights issue. " |
Klingle Road
called the
"Fakest
Issue"
by the
City Paper"
The Washington City Paper
By Elissa Silverman
Dec. 27-Jan. 9, 2003 |
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The Mayor's Bill
On Dec. 19th 2002, Mayor Williams introduced a bill that
would comprehensively address Klingle Valley. The bill would
allow DC to begin to fix some damaged sections of the
Valley. It proposes studying the stormwater runoff,
east-west traffic, and the environmental impact of
implementing DDOT's preferred alternative - keeping Klingle
a park.
View the PDF
file. |
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